Oscars 2013: The Five Moments That Actually Mattered

The day after the Oscars is made up of a series of talking points from the previous night’s show, usually the shocking, scandalous and controversial moments that populate talk-show chatter. The 2013 edition of the show had plenty to choose from, considering the divisive hosting job from Seth MacFarlane and a worst-timing-ever fall from Best Actress winner Jennifer Lawrence.

But what happened last night that really mattered for movies, Hollywood and the Academy itself? There were several moments that should be on everyone’s mind, but they don’t necessarily fit into a supercut or GIF.

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The Jennifer Lawrence Fall
The Best Actress winner’s much-publicized spill as she climbed the stage to collect her award made headlines for the obvious reasons — “Celeb falls down on live TV!!!” — but that’s not why it was important. While she’s been a fan and press favorite on this awards circuit, Lawrence entered a different stratosphere when she fell on her way to Best Actress-dom; she became a bona fide star. Few actors or actress working in Hollywood today could ever claim that an extremely public tumble would result in a rise in popularity, and yet for Lawrence, it was endearing and strangely appropriate.

The Tie
No, we’re not talking about the leather abomination Quentin Tarantino wore around his neck. It may have seemed like a quirky, confusing moment at the time, but the tie in the Best Sound Editing category was truly a rare occurrence. Academy rules that allowed the previous ties have not been exactly consistent, but the tie between “Skyfall” and “Zero Dark Thirty” was only the sixth such result in the 85-year history of the Oscars. You may not see another in your lifetime. Think about that.

The “Skyfall” Wins
For a film series that has been around for 50 years, the James Bond movies have never been Oscar bait. Until last night, 007 had only collected two trophies over the course of 22 entries, but that all changed with the critically loved “Skyfall.” The newest Bond movie earned five nominations in all and won in two of those categories, doubling the series’ total.

Oscar Night Highlights

The “Jaws” Play-Off
What was likely conceived as a “fun” way to hurry up long-winded winners turned mean-spirited when the first victim of the “Jaws” play-off got the musical cue during an important message. The ominous music began to play just as “Life of Pi” visual effects supervisor Bill Westenhofer started to address the troubled Rhythm & Hues, the bankrupt effects house behind the award-winning film. Protesters had gathered outside the Dolby Theatre earlier that very evening to bring awareness to situations like Rhythm & Hues’ financial problems and the issues pervasive in the VFX industry today. The show’s little joke unintentionally kept Westenhofer from spreading the word.

The “Sound of Music” Gag
How is it that one of the few unquestionably hilarious moments from MacFarlane’s hosting gig is the one no one’s talking about the next day? It adhered to the exact formula of a “Family Guy”-style joke, what MacFarlane does best, and it didn’t go on too long, unlike every alternate-reality bit from the opening.